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Former names | South Carolina College (1801–1865; 1882–1887; 1890–1905) University of South Carolina (1866–1877)[1] South Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanics (1880–1881)[2] |
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Motto | Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros (Latin) |
Motto in English | "Learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel" (Ovid) |
Type | Public research university |
Established | December 19, 1801 |
Parent institution | University of South Carolina System |
Accreditation | SACS |
Academic affiliations | |
Endowment | $989 million (2021)[3] |
President | Michael Amiridis |
Provost | Donna K. Arnett |
Academic staff | 1,604 |
Students | 35,364 (Columbia) 52,633 (System-wide)[4] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Midsize City, 359 acres (145 ha) |
Newspaper | The Daily Gamecock |
Colors | Garnet and black[5] |
Nickname | Gamecocks |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FBS – SEC |
Mascot | Cocky |
Website | www |
The University of South Carolina (USC, South Carolina, or Carolina) is a public research university in Columbia, South Carolina. It is the flagship of the University of South Carolina System and the largest university in the state by enrollment. Its main campus is on over 359 acres (145 ha) in downtown Columbia, close to the South Carolina State House. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities with Highest Research Activity".[6] It houses the largest collection of Robert Burns and Scottish literature materials outside Scotland and the world's largest Ernest Hemingway collection.
Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, USC now offers more than 350 programs of study, leading to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. The university system has a total enrollment of approximately 52,000 students, with over 35,000 on the Columbia research campus as of fall 2019, making it the largest university in South Carolina. Professional schools on the Columbia campus include business, engineering, law, medicine, pharmacy, and social work.
In 1866 state leaders revived the institution with ambitious plans for a diverse University of South Carolina.